PracticePro

Date: Friday, March 28, 2025, 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM CT

Location: Jackson Walker LLP, 100 Congress Ave. STE 1100, Austin, TX 78701

Do you want to gain the knowledge and exact formula for securing a great summer associate position or post-graduate career? Master the substantive and soft skills and competencies you will need during your summer internships to deliver stellar work product, build a fantastic brand, and receive a permanent employment offer? Would you like to be part of an exclusive group of students participating in recruiting opportunities with PracticePro’s law firm partners?

TARGET AUDIENCE

The conference is best suited for 1Ls and 2Ls. Incoming 1Ls, 3Ls, and LLMs may also attend.

CONFERENCE STRUCTURE 

The Conference takes place on Friday, March 28, 2025, from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM. It is taught by speakers and instructors from top law firms and corporate legal departments.

**Please note that instead of an evening reception, we are having a recruiting and networking luncheon (11:30 AM to 1 PM CT) at the Southern Conference this year.**

Conference registrants can also participate in the following training and recruiting opportunities:

• Spring and summer webinar series focused on business frameworks, professional branding, strategic career planning, advanced networking and interviewing techniques, and other topics. The webinars will also be available for on-demand viewing.
• Exclusive resume collection and virtual networking opportunities with our law firm partners.
• Early registrants also receive a customized career/Pre-OCI coaching session, valued at $385.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE (all times are in CT)

⏰ 10:30 – 11:30 AM

Welcome & Recruiting Primer

⏰ 11:30 AM – 1 PM

Recruiting & Networking Luncheon

⏰ 1 – 2 PM

Getting Hired: Job Search Planning, Interviewing, and Standing Out in the Crowd

⏰ 2:30 – 3:30 PM

Exceeding Expectations: Excellent Work Product and Communication Skills (including virtual considerations this summer)

⏰ 3:45 – 5 PM

Building Your House on the Rock: Advanced Networking, Client Collaboration & Building a Sustaining Practice

⏰ 5 – 5:30 PM

Closing Remarks

Tuition includes the conference, the summer webinar series, resume collection, and all networking opportunities. Tuition includes the conference, the summer webinar series, resume collection, and all networking opportunities. Early registrants also receive a complimentary customized career/OCI coaching session, valued at $385.

Early registrants also receive a complimentary 50-minute customized career/OCI coaching session, valued at $385.

$279 = Early Registration (ends March 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM, subject to availability)

$349 = Regular Registration 

*Register on the Eventbrite page (here) or on our website (here).* 

INSTRUCTORS & SPEAKERS

Niki Khoshzamir, PracticePro 

Niki Khoshzamir is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of PracticePro, an EdTech social enterprise dedicated to providing skills training, coaching, and scholarships to empower the next generation of attorneys. In her role, she oversees all business and legal aspects of the company, including corporate governance, intellectual property, product development, and strategic partnerships.

Before founding PracticePro, Niki was an attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP, where she specialized in intellectual property litigation, complex commercial disputes, and trade sanctions compliance. Niki successfully represented companies and individuals in federal and state courts, at all stages of litigation, including trial. Niki was also the first recipient of the firm’s Pickering Fellowship on the West Coast, through which she led the Asian Law Caucus’ community education and advocacy work on U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Niki is the founder and former president of the Northern California Chapter of the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA). She served as the first chapter representative on the national IABA Board of Directors (2007), National IABA Vice President (2008), and a member of the chapter’s board of directors (2006-2012). She currently serves on the National IABA Advisory Board and the Leadership Council of Asian Law Caucus. From 2011 to 2017, she was a Lecturer at Law at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Berkeley Law).

Niki earned her J.D. from Berkeley Law and her B.S. in Biology, summa cum laude, from Texas Southern University. Prior to her legal career, she was a researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center. She also holds an Advanced Genetics and Genomics Certificate from Stanford School of Medicine.

Niki grew up in Tehran, London, and Vienna, and immigrated to the United States at age 19 to attend college. Attending the American International High School in Vienna shaped Niki’s passion for community and inclusion, which continues to guide her work today.

Davina Amiri, TE Connectivity

Davina Amiri joined TE Connectivity in 2024 as Senior Commercial Counsel and managing counsel for the Digital Data Networks group. TE provides hardware to its hyperscaler customers’ data centers. In her previous role, she advised AI funded startups on commercial terms and regulatory issues at a venture capital law firm based in San Fransico, Presidio Legal. Prior to Presidio Legal, she was Senior Legal Counsel at Dell Technologies, providing comprehensive transactional support and strategy to a niche group within commercial legal leading white-glove legal support to Dell’s largest global customers. At Dell, Ms. Amiri received many commercial legal awards, including awards for closing the largest deal of the year for two years in a row. 

 Previously, she ran Davina Amiri Law which provided legal support to rapid growth technology companies such as Bay Area unicorns, Stripe, and Medallia. Before returning to her practice in 2017, she was US Head of Legal for the London based fintech, World First, which was acquired by Ant. Prior to running her practice, Ms. Amiri was an attorney at the global law firm Sidley Austin, based in New York City. Ms. Amiri has been rated by Super Lawyers Magazine, New York Metro Area, Rising Star for 2015 and 2016.  

 Additionally, Ms. Amiri is a member of the Board of Advisors to the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA). She served as the VP of the National IABA for 2024, after being a nationally elected At Large Board Director since 2022. Ms. Amiri has served on IABA Chapter Boards in NY and CA since 2012. 

 Ms. Amiri works primarily from her home office in Austin, TX, where she lives with her husband, son, and two dogs. She received her B.S. from The College of New Jersey and graduated from Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. 

Elizabeth (Lou) Jeffers, Latham & Watkins 

Lou Jeffers is an associate in the Austin office of Latham & Watkins. Prior to joining Latham, Ms. Jeffers was a summer associate in the firm’s Chicago office. While in law school, Ms. Jeffers was the senior managing editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. She was also a member of the Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Center legal clinic where she assisted startup companies with various corporate matters. Ms. Jeffers also served as a research assistant focusing on commercial free speech and served as the treasurer for the Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center Student Group. 

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Jeffers worked as a consultant in wealth management. Ms. Jeffers’s training includes passing the Certified Financial Planner exam. 

Ms. Jeffers received her B.B.A from Loyola University Chicago, and she graduated from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law with a Business Enterprise concentration. 

Leslie Lord, Baker Botts

Leslie Lord is an associate in the Austin office of Baker Botts LLP. Ms. Lord provides ongoing representation to corporate clients, including public and private companies and private equity funds, regarding mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, corporate governance, and general corporate matters. Ms. Lord also advises clients on securities compliance issues, including Exchange Act reporting. 

 Ms. Lord received her B.A. from The Ohio State University and graduated from The University of Texas School of Law. 

Bhanu Mathur, Alston & Bird

Bhanu Mathur is a partner in the Corporate & Business Transactions Group in the Washington, D.C., office of Alston & Bird LLP. She focuses her practice on the representation of public companies across industries, including hospitality, payments, automotive, retail, and real estate investment trusts (REITs), in mergers and acquisitions, SEC reporting and compliance, corporate governance, and capital-raising transactions. Preparing SEC filings and counseling during corporate transactions are the foundation of Ms. Mathur’s work with clients. 

 Ms. Mathur received her B.A. from Boston University and graduated from The George Washington University Law School.

Brandon Middleton-Pratt, Wilson Sonsini

Brandon J. Middleton-Pratt is a partner in the Austin office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, LLP, where he specializes in representing emerging companies, mergers & acquisitions, private equity transactions, and venture capital financings. Mr. Middleton-Pratt also provides strategic business advice and counsel to entrepreneurs and start-ups on a broad range of issues, including company formation, capitalization structure, equity compensation arrangements for founders and employees, negotiations with investors and acquirers, and other issues relevant to start-ups and high-growth companies. 

Mr. Middleton-Pratt has represented clients across a wide range of industries, including software (including SaaS), life sciences, energy and clean technology, fintech and financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, digital media and entertainment, consumer products, and other emerging technologies. Mr. Middleton-Pratt has also worked on numerous pro bono matters and has received the John Wilson Award twice, an annual award given to individual attorneys who have shown remarkable dedication to the firm’s pro bono clients. Additionally, he currently serves as a board member for DivInc, an Austin-based nonprofit. 

Mr. Middleton-Pratt received his B.S.B.A. from the University of Denver, his M.B.A. from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and he graduated from Boston University School of Law. 

Meghan Pier, Jackson Walker LLP

Monika Sanford, Haynes and Boone

Monika Sanford is a partner and the co-chair of the Finance Practice Group of Haynes and Boone, LLP. Ms. Sanford has over 17 years of experience in the finance and banking industry, and she represents financial institutions, alternative lenders, and private credit funds in structuring, negotiating, and documenting sophisticated lending arrangements. Clients rely on Ms. Sanford’s solutions-oriented approach to a variety of debt transactions, from multi-jurisdictional subscription-secured credit facilities with top-tier private equity funds to working capital facilities for public companies. Ms. Sanford has significant experience in the fund finance space, and she has documented subscription facilities for some of the largest sponsors in the industry with some of the most complex structures. Ms. Sanford is also well versed in documenting and negotiating senior secured and unsecured debt, 144A and other types of notes offering, second lien loans, mezzanine investments, and other forms of subordinated debt, as well as acquisition financing. 

In addition to serving as the co-chair of the Finance Practice Group, Ms. Sanford has served as a member of the board of directors of local organizations, including the Dallas Asian American Bar Associations. She has been involved with many of Haynes Boone’s internal committees, including serving as co-chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is committed to serving as a strong mentor for junior attorneys and law students. 

Ms. Sanford received her B.B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. 

Shannon Sibold, Morrison & Foerster

Shannon Sibold is a partner in the Corporate Group in the Austin office of Morrison & Foerster LLP. Her practice focuses on corporate finance and securities matters, including private financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and advising emerging-growth companies through their entire lifecycle. Prior to launching the Austin office, Ms. Sibold was resident in MoFo’s Palo Alto office in the heart of Silicon Valley. Ms. Sibold has been listed as ‘One to Watch’ for Corporate Law in Best Lawyers since 2021. 

Ms. Sibold earned her B.C.L. & J.D. from McGill University Faculty of Law. She earned her B.A. with Distinction in Political Science and Economics from the University of Calgary. 

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Sibold competed internationally as a member of Canada’s long track speed skating national team. 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Joshua Romero, Jackson Walker

Joshua Romero is a partner in the Austin office of Jackson Walker LLP. He is a trial lawyer and the Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Section in Austin. He began his career with judicial clerkships at the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Over the past 21 years, Mr. Romero has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes cases across the country in complex commercial litigation, bad-faith insurance claims, trade-secret cases, whistleblower and qui tam cases, and First Amendment litigation. Mr. Romero has successfully tried cases to juries ranging from multimillion-dollar corporate disputes and fraud cases to commercial construction cases. In prior years, he assisted his clients in obtaining the largest settlement in Texas, and the fourth-largest settlement in the United States, as featured in the The National Law Journal. 

As a member of the firm’s appellate section, clients have entrusted Mr. Romero to handle appeals in a wide spectrum of cases, including complex commercial disputes, contract disputes, class actions, and business torts. He has presented oral argument numerous times at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Over the past decade, Mr. Romero has handled appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Texas Supreme Court, and appellate courts across Texas. 

Mr. Romero has received the highest rating, AV Preeminent, from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. He has been repeatedly recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and featured in The Best Lawyers in America publication. Lawdragon has also named Mr. Romero as one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America.” In addition, Mr. Romero has been named “Texas’ Top Rated Lawyers” by ALM Legal Publishing and recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters. Mr. Romero has also consistently been named a “Top Attorney” in Austin by Austin Monthly Magazine. He was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court Rules Committee by the State Bar of Texas to advise the Court on the rules governing trial practice and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. He also serves as the Immediate President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin.   

Mr. Romero received his B.S. from Stephen F. Austin State University and graduated from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.